Food container and method of preparing the same



A ril 28, 1936. H. A. M lLVAlNE 2,038,584

FOOD CONTAINER AND METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME Filed May 4, 192aPatented Apr. 1936 UNITED STATES FOOD CONTAINER AND METHOD OF PREPARINGTHE SAME Hubert A. Mcllvain'e, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, s

signor to The Continental Fruit Products Company, Frostproof, Fla., acorporation of Florida Application May 4, 1928, Serial No. 275,207

10 Claims. (61.99-181) This invention relates to animprovement in foodcontainers and method of preparing the '15 large quantity of citrousfruits of various kinds,

such as oranges, grape-fruit, and citron is being wasted annually.

The object of this invention is to utilize the hull or outer skin of thecitrous fruits as a con- 20 tainer for a food product, preferably someform ofmarmalade or preserves made from the citrous fruit itself, or thefruit juice. Where the citrous fruits are packed and shipped in theirnatural state, they do not keep satisfactorily, and become I 25 decayedand unflt for use after some considerable period of time. However, bypreserving the fruit or edible interior thereof, or extracting the juicetherefrom, these may be sealed up in the hull or outer portion of thecitrous fruit, which other- 3 wise would be wasted, and the latterportion is used as the container for the preserved 'orconserved innerportion of .the fruit, in this way eliminatingthe necessity of using-anyadditional Fig] 1 is a side elevation of the fruit in its Y 40 naturalstate; I Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the first step of theprocess with the fruit cut in half;

Fig. 3 is a similar view after the interior of the fruit has beenremoved, and the hull filled with a 45 preserved or other form of foodproduct;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the complete fruit container;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of a modified form of container; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a further modification thereof.

The invention is particularly applicable to citrous fruits, although itmay also apply to any other type of fruits or the like. For the p se 58of illustration, however, the invention is described in connection withcitrous fruit, such as oranges or 'grape-fruiawhich is shown 'in Fig. 1,and designated generally by the numeral I. This orange is cut'intotwohalves 2 along the line 3, approximately at the center thereof,preferably, although 5 it is possible to cut off only the upper portionl2 in Fig. 6 and use that as a cap for the container. eedible innerportion 4 of the fruit is removed, a d some form of ediblefood product 5is packed into the hull or skin of thefruit to fill each of the 10 twohalves 2. This food product 5 may be of the edible interior portion ofthe fruit after it has been conserved or preserved, so as to avoid thepossibility of its becoming decayed. The outer hull or skin of the fruitis preferably preserved also before the preserved food product is packedI thereinto, so as to render the article edible. After the food productor preserved contents are packed into the portions of the hull or skin,the two portions are placed together, as shown in Fig. 4, and

are sealed along their cut edges 3 by means ofv sealing-wax, paraflin,or some other sealing substance designated generally by the numeral 6.This renders the container formed by the hull or skin of the'fruitentirely air-tight, enclosing the preserves or other food productcontained therein in an air-tight condition, where it will be kept in aproper state to prevent, its deterioration through the action of theelements. This forms a container for thefood product, which is aseffective in maintaining the same in its preserved condition as eitherglass. or metal containers usually employed.

For the purpose of transportation, the fruit container may be enclosedin a paper cover I which passes entirely around the same, and may behermetically-sealed, being of a character such as to permit this, andthus further insure maintaining the container perfectly air-tight. I

After having been carefully sealed, the fruit container may be packed inany form of box or other container for the v,same, as, for instance, inthe crates ordinarily employed to ship such fruit inits naturalcondition. In this way there is no probability of breaking the containerfor the preserved or other food products contained therein, and there isno probability of destruction of the container through the breakage, asexists where the containers are-of glass, and this also paper cover 1 beremoved and a knife or other 66 sharp object may be used to break'theseal at 8 between the two halves, and the latter may be thus opened andthe halves used as dishes to contain the marmalade, etc. If the peelingor hull of the citrous fruit has been conserved in any well-known mannersuch as by the usual sugar solutions or the like, the hull may also beeaten.

In' the modified form shown in Fig. 5, each half of the container afterhaving been filled with the preserved .or other food product, is sealedby paraffine, cardboard or other form of seal which covers the open topof the same, which seals are designated generally by the numeral 8 inFig. 5, and the two halves may then be placed'together with the sealsface to face. and enclosed in the paper covering 1 as before.

If the hull or skin of the fruit is not conserved, in order to preventdecay and deterioration of the contents by reason thereof, the hull ispreferably coated at least on its inner surface, but it' may be coatedon both its inner and outer'surfaces with paraflin, rubber, or othersubstance designated generally by the numeral 5. This outside coatingmay also serve the same purpose as the paper covering 1, which may thusbe eliminated or omitted.

The containers formed by the hull or skin of the fruit may be used tocontain any form of food product, but they are particularly valuable forcontaining and receiving the preserved edible interior portion of thefruit, since the latter will be removed to form the containers, and maybe used to fill the same after having been properly which the juice isinserted, a suitable plug or other member being used to close theopening, but being removablefor the insertion-of a straw to extract thecontents.

I claim:

1. A food containercomprising an ediblehull of preserved natural fruitor the like from which the interior portion has been removed, and havingan opening for receiving a food product, and

to be sealed, and a cap for said opening and having sealing connectionwith the edges of said opening.

2. A food container comprising an edible air tight hull of preservednatural fruit from which the interior portion has been removed, andhaving an opening for receiving a food product, and an edible portion ofthe preserved hull for closing and sealing said opening.

hull, and a stopple for closing and sealing said opening.

4. A method of forming a food container from the hull of natural fruitor the like comprising opening a portion of the hull, removing theinterior portion from the hull, preserving the hull to render it edible,and approximately air tight, filling the hull with a food product or thelike, and capping and sealing the opening in the hull.

5. A method of forming a food container from the hull of natural fruitor the like, comprising removing a portion of the hull to Lorin anopening, removing the edible interior portion from within the hull,conserving the hull with sugar to render it edible and air tight,thereafter filling the conserved hull with a food product or the like,and capping and sealing the opening in the hull with the portion removedto form the opening.

6. A food container comprising an air tight edible hull of preservednatural fruit having a hollow interior adapted to be filled with a foodproduct and sealed, said hull having a relatively small openingsubstantially smaller in diameter than the diameter of the hull andthrough which the food product is introduced into the hull, and apreserved air tight edible portion of the hull corresponding in sizewith the opening and fitted and sealed to the opening.

. 7. A food container comprising an air tight edible hull of preservednatural fruit having a hollow interior adapted to be filled with a foodproduct and sealed, said hull having a relatively small openingsubstantially smaller in diameter than the diameter of the hull andthrough which 3 the food product is introduced into the hull; and apreserved air tight edible portion of the hull corresponding in sizewith the opening and fitted and sealed to the opening, said hull beingpermanently sealed and air tight, and an approximately transparent papercovering enclosing said hull and providing a sealed casing therearound.

8. A food container comprising a hull of natural fruit having a hollowinterior adapted to be filled with food products and sealed, said hullhaving the walls thereof preserved and air tight throughout, and havingan opening for the introduction of the food products, and an airtightportion of the hull corresponding in size with the opening and fittedand sealed thereto.

,9. 'A food container comprising a hull of natural fruit having a hollowinterior adapted to "be filled and'sealed, said hull having the wallsthereof preserved against decay and havingan opening for theintroduction of products; and means for closing and sealing saidopening.

10. A food container comprising a hull of mat ural fruit having a hollowinterior adapted to be filled and sealed, said hull having the wallsthereof coated inside and outside preserving said walls against decay,said hull having an opening for the introduction of products, and meansfor closing and sealing said opening.

HUBERTA. McILVAINE.

